IT SHOULD come as no surprise that Didi ­Hamann, who figured in some of Liverpool’s greatest comebacks of the last decade, refuses to join the rush to write off their season.

Hamann’s faith in the special spirit of a club who have gained a reputation for being able to fight their way out of the tightest of corners is as strong as his belief in the managerial nous ofRafa Benitez.

It is why he believes today’s game against another of his former clubs, Manchester City, is the perfect platform forLiverpool to turn the corner after their worst spell of results for four decades.

The fact big-spending City arrive at Anfield posing a very real threat to Liverpool’s place in the Premier League’s Big Four makes Hamann believe they will bring the best out of Benitez’s team – just as a month ago, after a run of four successive defeats, they blew away Manchester United in a frenzied adrenaline rush.

Since then two more defeats and two draws have ended their Carling Cup hopes, left their Champions League dreams on the brink and seemingly finished off ambitions to end Anfield’s agonising 20-year wait for a domestic league title.

But as befits a hero of Liverpool’s epic comebacks in the 2005 Champions League final and 2001 and 2006 FA Cup finals, Hamann says all is not yet lost.

Now 36, retired and taking his coaching badges, former Germany midfielder Hamann said: “It is a very important game for both clubs – but particularly Liverpool.

“You can’t see United or Chelsea finishing outside the top four, nor Arsenal with the way they are playing and scoring goals at the moment. With City, Spurs and Aston Villa all challenging strongly for the Champions League places, there is a very real threat of Liverpool finishing outside the top four which would be disastrous for them, not least financially.

“They have not played to their standards recently but performances have not been as bad as the results suggest. They battered Fulham and should have been out of sight. Everyone knows what happened at Sunderland and two last-minute goals by Lyon damaged them in Europe.

“Confidence – or lack of it – is the biggest issue. It doesn’t make good reading when you’ve only won one game in nine and you begin to wonder where the next win is coming from.

“There is not too much wrong with their play, ability or team spirit. Obviously having important players like Fernando Torres, Steve Gerrard and Glen Johnson missing hasn’t helped.

“The departure of Xabi Alonso in the summer was a big setback. The reason they did so well last season was because of Alonso’s midfield partnership with Javier Mascherano, the best in the Premier League. But a team that gathered 86 points and pushed United all the way to the title hasn’t become a bad one. Yes, they have already lost five games so the title looks unlikely now. But stranger things have happened.

“Their main focus, though, must be to not lose sight of the top three. If Liverpool can string some wins together they could make up ground quickly. They always finish the season strongly.”

Hamann dismisses talk of Benitez losing his job as “ridiculously premature” and said: “People shouldn’t forget he has taken the club to another level since he took over. This is their first big slump but there is no one better for the job.”

Hamann’s three years at City never came anywhere near the glory of his seven seasons at Anfield. Only in the middle season – under Sven-Goran Eriksson – did he do himself any justice.

A playing career that scaled such peaks as World Cup and European Cup finals ended in an ignominious FA Cup third-round home defeat by Nottingham Forest in January. He never played again because of a foot injury and was released in the summer to concentrate on passing on his vast playing experience as a coach.

While he believes the quality players brought in by Mark Hughes has given City “the strongest squad in the league”, he has reservations about how they are gelling and their collective spirit when the chips are down.

He also believes selling captain Richard Dunne was a big mistake. “I couldn’t understand why they let him go,” said Hamann. “He is a top-class defender and held the team together. Now they look vulnerable at the back.

“Hughes has bought well, although he’s paid too much for certain players, and has assembled a big squad. But there are already suggestions some are not happy because they are not playing week-in, week-out.

“When things don’t go well we will see how they handle the pressure and if they have the spirit to get the team out of trouble.”

Hamann will be at Anfield today, just as he was for the win over United last month. And he expects Liverpool to complete a Manchester double he believes could give their season a belated lift-off.

“Liverpool know this is a chance to put down a marker against their main rivals for fourth spot,” he said. “I fancy them to pull it off – especially if Gerrard and Torres are fit.”